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AIBU?

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Original poster

Jodie Whittaker to be 13th Doctor Who

181 replies

Pariswhenitdrizzles · 16/07/2017 17:07

Not really AIBU - just want to hear your thoughts really.

I don't often watch it, but think it's nice that they've finally cast a woman as the Doctor :)

OP posts:
corythatwas · 16/07/2017 18:23

"DrWho is a man, he has children and grandchildren!"

So had Tiresias. Didn't seem to worry the ancient Greeks.

cardibach · 16/07/2017 18:25

Jacques I don't think that is the premise. It certainly hasn't been until Missy. The premise is 'time travelling alien saves worlds' with a side order of 'alien doesn't die but regenerates in a new body'. For every regeneration of every time lord until one a couple of series ago that regeneration was into a same sex body. No suggestion it could be otherwise. No suggestion, even now, that it could be a lizard or a dog.

gnushoes · 16/07/2017 18:25

Loved Missy.
Not really sure why so many people think the Doctor being female is awful. Been watching it all my life - remember William Hartnell - and think, about time too.

Pantryboy · 16/07/2017 18:25

I don't mind it being a female and I have watched it forever (am old too) . I just don't think imho she is a good enough actor to carry the part. She was very weak in Broadchurch series 3 .

cardibach · 16/07/2017 18:27

I hated Missy. Arch, overacted, unconvincing - granted that could be the actress and the scripts rather than the concept, but it failed spectacularly for me. Groaned every time she was in it. Really hoped it wasn't her in that box.
Could anyone explain why they liked her?

PoopyPanda · 16/07/2017 18:30

For every regeneration of every time lord until one a couple of series ago that regeneration was into a same sex body. No suggestion it could be otherwise.

Sorry, but that's not true. A time lord/lady regenerating into different genders was mentioned by the Doctor in "The Doctor's Wife" in 2011. People have had 6 years to debate and digest it.

OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow · 16/07/2017 18:31

Meh. It doesn't sit right with me if I'm honest. Doctor Who is a bloke. It would be like casting a man to play Elizabeth I. Just blatantly wrong.
No, because one was a real person and one is a fictional character (of fluid gender, race and species)
As long as it wasn't kris Marshall.
Plus, it makes the Mail readers go fucking apoplectic!

BabsGanoush · 16/07/2017 18:32

Meh! Don't really like her. Didn't think much of her acting in Broadchurch - anyone could play that part.

I take that back......literally just seen the trailer......could be really good!

Will watch for interest.

ghostyslovesheets · 16/07/2017 18:35

nope Doctor Who is a timelord - not 'a bloke' and can change gender

catkind · 16/07/2017 18:35

Don't know the actress, but I'm very excited it's a woman. Really VERY excited. I hope they give her quite a classic Who characterisation. And I hope she sticks around for a few seasons. I want my DD to grow up seeing a geeky weird heroic woman saving everyone. There aren't enough of those.

Dr Who has been good at having strong female characters, but because the show revolves around the doctor, the characters have also necessarily revolved around the doctor. I'm fed up of things revolving around the man.

sussexman · 16/07/2017 18:39

I want my DD to grow up seeing a geeky weird heroic woman saving everyone

This.

BouncyHedgehog · 16/07/2017 18:40

Looking forward to a bit of a change. I really hope they don't feel the need to reference her gender umpteen times per episode though (in the same way as it would have been a bit tiresome for previous male Doctors to mention that they were male every 5 minutes)

WineAndTiramisu · 16/07/2017 18:41

I'm not overly keen on the doctor being a woman, but I quite liked Missy, so I'll see how she does.
Rest of the family quite against it, but it could be a good shake up off the show I think

PlinkyTheFairyWitch · 16/07/2017 18:43

My goodness me, some people.

Time travelling alien, has two hearts and regenerative powers, magic blue box bigger on the inside than out, saves world countless times using nothing but a sonic screwdriver and wit. A-OK.

Alien is female - NOPE, just not realistic!

Deary, deary me.

I have no idea who Jodie is but will actually watch it now instead of doing something else while it's on. Delighted it's not Kris Marshall.

JacquesHammer · 16/07/2017 18:43

No suggestion it could be otherwise

It has been both very obviously and as an inferred premise

EastMidsMummy · 16/07/2017 18:46

Missy was brilliant. Funny, sassy, evil as fuck and a brilliant twist on what had one past been quite a pantomime character.

As has been pointed out, the Doctor isn't a man. The Doctor is a Time Lord. Time Lords are gender-fluid. Also, it's all made up anyway, so they're totally in their rights to have a female Doctor if that will be cool, and it will be.

BraveBear · 16/07/2017 18:47

Just come from the Daily Mail website... So many ruined childhoods, so many men who won't watch it anymore, so there!, not realizing that a lot of their comments give away the fact that they don't watch it anyway.

I haven't been watching because the storylines have been boring and too complex. I'm not altogether dissing Moffat because he essentially set this "twist" up, but with a new show-runner and first female Doctor I'll definitely be watching. There's no way the ratings will be bad. Unless the stories are...

QuackPorridgeBacon · 16/07/2017 18:48

Not happy will give her a chance, obviously. If the writing and the actress are shit then I'll stop watching, if the writing is good I will get through it regardless of her acting abilities for the sake of the show.

People scream sexism but I don't think not wanting a woman is sexist, I think changing to a woman to make a point is a bit sexist towards men though. He has always been a man and has never shown any interest in becoming a woman, so why now? It doesn't make sense to me but will see how it goes.

JacquesHammer · 16/07/2017 18:49

I think changing to a woman to make a point is a bit sexist towards men though

God those poor poor men.

MoonShapedPool · 16/07/2017 18:58

It's really tough for straight white males to land decent roles, I can't believe the Doctor has been taken away from them now Angry I'm just OUTRAGED

scottishdiem · 16/07/2017 19:00

I have no idea about the actress but then I didn't know Smith or Tenant or McCoy either so I am not bothered by that.

Missy was a great character though - totally within the norms of characterisation going back to the start.

HoneyIshrunktheBiscuit · 16/07/2017 19:01

It's not about making a point ffs. It's about opening up an inconic role to people beyond white men.

BraveBear · 16/07/2017 19:03

He has always been a man and has never shown any interest in becoming a woman, so why now?

The Doctor doesn't choose how to regenerate... Remember 10th Doctor bemoaning that he wanted ginger hair? They don't know what they are going to be until they see it. It's canon that the Doctor can be male or female, which makes it look ridiculous that we only see male incarnations.

TaraCarter · 16/07/2017 19:04

I'm not sure I'm exactly thrilled about it, but I'd swear that Time Lords could change sex between regenerations was mentioned in an official Doctor Who annual, pre-dating the Christopher Eccleston re-vamp. Don't have that annual any more, but it might even have been from the 1970s era.

RhubardGin · 16/07/2017 19:05

She was great in Broadchurch so fingers crossed!